Machine for trimming fruit.



E G. GINGA.

MACHINE FOR TRI'MING FRUIT.

APPLIGATIOH rum MAY 22, 1912.

Patented M1229, i913.

s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

v Patented A191129, 1918 SSHEETS-SHEET'Z.

E. G. GINAGA.

MACHINE POR TEIMMING FRUIT. APPLIGATIOE FILED MAYZZ, 1912. ji 924i@ Fatented M1229, i913.

,y @Nieren as" HQE. l

`HENRY\ GABRIEL GINACA, F HONOLULU, TRRITDRY OF HAWAII, ASSlGNGlR, T04 HAWAIAN PINEAPPLE COMPANY, LTD., 0F vHQNOLULU, '.EBIB'I'JCEB-Y` tIPEv HAWAX,"

MACHINE FR TRIMMING FRUIT.

Laconia.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenten apnea, asia.

Application filed May 22, V1912. Serial No. 698,995.

To all lwhom t may concern.' y

Bel it known that I, HENRY GABRIEL GINACA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Honolulu, in the county of Honolulu, riierritory of Hawaii, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Machines for Trimming' Fruit; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactd'escription of the invention, suoli as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to machines for trimming fruit, such as pineapples, and particularly Afor trimming the good portion of fruit from the rind.

The object of the present invention is to produce a machine for straighteninfr out the barrel shaped outer portion of the fruit, which has beenremoved in the process of sizing, and for separating the good portion of the fruit thereof from the outer and harder rind, and fr accomplishing all of same in a rapid and automatic manner.

The 'invention is particularly applicable for the treatment of the shells or outer portions of pineapples discharged from machines which size the fruit, such as are described in my application for atent entitled Machine for treating fruit, led April 30, 1912, Serial l\o 694,081'.

My invention contemplates a horn shaped plate upon which the barrel shaped outer portion of the fruit is fed to the machine, means for then moving the outer portion i of the fruit rearward and straightening "or fiat-toning out same, means for trimming ofi the good portion of fruitfrom the harder rind While being moved rearward rmly gripped between a plurality of revolving rings and a flexible belt, and means for discharging `the rind.

The invention consists in the novel zoonstruction and arrangement of parts as here'- inafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of machine for trinnning fruit embodying my present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view if the samewith all belts removed for the sake of p clearness. Fig. 3 is'ia rear elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is a section of the horn on the line A-B of F ig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on the line C -D of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the frame of the machine is composed of the two longi The feed plate S is secured by the bolts` 9 to the tops of the horizontal flanges 5a provided at the front ends of the castings 5 6 respectively- The corners of the front end of the feed plate 8 are bent or curved downward to form the horn 8fL as shown. rPhe discharge plate 10 is secured by-the bolts 11 to the tops of the horizontal flanges 5b 6b at the rear ends of the castings 5 6 respectively. Ihis discharge late 10 isI preferably located in a slight y higher plane than the'feed plate 8. The front edge of the dischar e plate 10 is provided with notches 10a, eig it being shown in Fig. 2. The rear end of the feed plate 8 is preferably bent downward and provided with notches 8? corresponding to the notches 10EL in the discharge plate 10.

The shaft 12 is journaled transversely'in the bracket bearingsl bolted to the under.- side of each of the longitudinal beams 1 by the bolts 7 and the lag screws 14, Fig.' 1. The flanged pulley 15 is secured to one end of this shaft 12, and a roller 1G provided with grooves 1Ga is fastened to'said shaft between thebracket bearings 13, Fig. 3. The spacing of the grooves 16 is the same as the spacing of the notches 8b and 10@- in the feed and discharge plates respectively. Two similar shafts 17 and 18 are journaled in bearings formed in the bosses 5 6 and f of the castings 5 and 6 respectively. The three shafts 12 17 and 18 are located at equal distances apart, to form an equilateral triangle. The shafts 17 18Vare each provided with a flanged pullcy15 and a roller 16 having grooves 16a exactly the same as provided for the shaft 12. The rings 19 are adapted to turn between the three rollers 16 in .the

'of the castings 5 seid shaft, Figs. 2 and 3. The ber 29 is sunbetween the levers .the bers 35 and 36.

ings Se of the castings 5 6 respectively, een be rapidly revolved by means of s it applied to the pulley secured to one seid shaft. Between the bearings 5 and 6e the shaft 21 has s square cross section., to opposite sides of which the knives 23 ere bolted by the bolts 24, and so located that these knives operate between the rings sind clear same when the shaft 21 is rer 'voived The shaft 25 provided with the drum 26 is ionrnaled in the bracket bearings 2? bolted by the bolts 11 upon the sides of the discharge plete and abovethe flanges 5 6b and 6 respectively. The shaft is revolved by means of a belt epplied to the pulley 28 secured to the end of ported in the brackets 30 end 31 bolted by the bolts 9 upon the sides of the feed plate S end above the lianges 5a 6 of the castings i and 6 respectively. A lever 32 is secured to the bar 23 next to each of the brackets 30 and The pipe 33 surrounds the bnr 29 32. A lever 34 is fastened to each end ol the pipe 33. The end of each of the levers 34 is provided with e. slot-32Z 3 4u 'to receive the bers 35 36 respectively, and also with an adjusting screw 3?. Cotter pins 38 are provided in. the ends of The drums 39 and 40 are adapted to Lurn on the bars and 36 respectively. rthe bracket 31 is provided with arms 31 and 31h adapted to form stops to engage an adjacent lever 32 land 34 and thereby lin'iit the downward movement of each, of said levers due tothe Weight of the drinne 33 and 4G respectively, Two endless belts 4" t2 ere si lfetched over the drums 26 and 40, end si shorter and narrower belt 43 is stretched over the drums 26 and 39 between the belts 41 and 42, Figs. l and 3. Of course, if, preferred, a single wide belt may be employed and be stretched over the drums 23 and 43, iii-lieu of the three belts shown. rlhe belts 4l. 42 and 43 may be provided with tucks or other projections 44 adapted to enthe rind of the fruit, these projections eineH preferably arranged in rows so as to cleer the rings 19, Fig. 3. u

' A discharge chute 45 for the fruit trimmed from the rind is provided between the longitudinal beams 1 in front of 'the rings 19, Fins. 1 and 3. I

When the drums 39 andfl() are in their bec,

v f ne lrnife sneft 21. 1s ournaled 1n the lowest positions, with the levers 32 end 34 engaging the arms 31a and 31h, the projections 44 on the belts the feed plate 8. The weight of the drum 39 detleets said belts and causes them to have a greater contact with the rings 19 than they otherwise would have. lVhen the outer portion of the fruit to be treated is passed between the belts 41 42 and the feed plate 8, the drum 40 is lifted thereby more or less depending upon the thickness of said fruit, the pipe 33 turning on the bar 29. The drinn 39 .is siinilerly lifted by the fruit, the ber 29 turning1 in the brackets 30 3l. The tightness of the belts 4l 42 may be adjusted .by means of the screws 37 which move the bar 36in the slots 341. The belt. 43 may be similarly adjusted by moving the bar 35v in the slots 32a the' ends ofthe levers 32. The three belts 41 42 43 are propelled by the drum 26 in the direction in iceted by arrows in Fig. l, The speed of the three belts 41 42 and 43 is the seme as the circumferential speed of the rings 19. h l

In operation. with the revolving arts moving' in the directions asindicste by arrows in Fig. l, the barrel shaped outer portions of the fruit which result from the sizin` operation are placed successively on the horn 8a and are moved rearward thereon until the projections 44 in the belts 41 42 engage sameend drag it rearward upon the feed plete 8. These portions of fruit in bcing thus moved, however, from the horn 8a onto the feed plate 8, are flattened or straightened out from their original circu lar shape and have' been spread upon the feed plate 8 with the rind upward.` Continuing rearward the belt 43 soon also engages the rind, which is now draggedreen ward by all three belts .41 42 43, and upon leaving the rear end ofthe feed plate 8 is carried .rearward gripped between said belts and the rings 19 and then onto the dischzirge me plete 10. During-this passage, however, and

while gripped, the good portion of the fruit .has been trimmed fromlthe hard rind by the revolving knives 23 which encounter and out 'ott that portion of the soft fruit forced by the belts into the intervals or spaces between the rings 19. The good fruit thus trimmed drops down the chute 45. The rind is pulled rearward by the belts and is discharged from the machine over the rear of the discharge plate 10.

The object of preferably bending downward the rear end of the feed plate 8 1s t0 act as e baille for the trimmed fruit and p revent the latter from coming in contact with the roller 16 on the shaft 18. The object of the drum 39 in addition to`tl1e drum 40 1s to provide :deans for pressing the belts 41 42 41 42 and 43 just clear Aby means of the screws 37 in nosostros 2. in o machine for triniininefruit, n feedplete norn having e conversor-fase et its forward end, and surface less eonvexity et elle end adjacent the ina-onine and e. belt for .moving the fruit. rearward on said plate .when the barrel shaped fruit has been moved rear-Word on the liorn for the purpose 'of flattening or straightening out said fruit..

- 3. in e machine for trimming fruit, a plurality or" rigid spaced rings and e exible belt cooperating with said rings to firmly grip the fruit between seid rings and seid belt. v

4. In a machine 'for trimming fruit, e lurality of rigid rings, a exiblebelt. connerating with seid rings to grip the fruit between said rings and belt, and means for trimming ofi the goo'd portion of the fruit from the rind `While the fruit is thus gripped.

5. In n machine for trimming fruit, a plurality of rigid rings, a flexible belt ooper-I etingwitlrsaidrings to grip the fruit between said rings and belt, and means 'For moving the belt and for revolving the rings suoli that the periphery of the rings has the saine velocity as the belt.

6. in e machine for trimming fruit, :i plurslity of rigid rings7 o exiole belt coperating with seid ringsI to grip the fruit between seid rings and Ybelt, ineens for neming? the belt and for revolving the rings, one, i

means for trimming ofi the goed portion oi the ruit from the rind While the ruit'is thus gripped. f

,1 'i'. in s machine for trimming fruit, e plurality of independent rigid ringsa meonskior revolving seid rings and guiding the same in parallel planes, and knives" leaving their support within the rigid rings.

8. ln a machine for trimming fruit, o eine raiity of independent rigid rings having e common axis, .means for revolving seid rings, and. knives having their support Within the rigid rings 9. in o. machine for trimming fruit, e plurality oi' independent rigid rings having o common axis, means for revolving seid rings and guiding the same in parallel planes, and

rings. l

10. ln a. machinefor trimming fruit, e plurality of rigid rings means for revolving and guiding said rings in parallel pleines5 and a knife slm-ft revolving within seid with its exisperellel to the common exis mi the rings.

l1. in e machine for trimming *fruit e; plurality of rigid rings, means for revolving' and guiding said rings in parallel plenos,

knife shaft revolving Within said rings Witli knives having their support Within the rigid t 

